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We arrived at Rio Feb. 16. Sailed Sunday 18. This is Sunday 25. We have had splendid weather. No storms have met only one slight shower. There has been a great amount of complaint in regard to food. Certainly not without some reason.

I have been sea sick a great deal & not able to work nor read so much. (The story goes that Mr. M has offered himself to one of the young ladies but [he/she?] denies.) I don't know whether we shall have [illeg.] service or not. There are many that will not go as they are offended with Mr. M because he did not [illeg.] them to the American Consul at Rio.

In 1864 and again in 1866, Asa Mercer, Seattle pioneer and first president of the University of Washington, led groups of young women known as the Mercer Girls on journeys from the East Coast to Seattle. These women were asked to come to Seattle to increase the numbers of marriageable women in the young city. They were also needed to fill jobs, mostly as teachers. Most, but not all, of the Mercer Girls did end up marrying and settling in the Puget Sound area. Ann Conner taught school in Elma, Washington, and married Mark Hartsuck in 1869.

Punctuation has been added to the transcription in order to improve readability.

We arrived at Rio Feb. 16. Sailed Sunday 18. This is Sunday 25. We have had splendid weather. No storms have met only one slight shower. There has been a great amount of complaint in regard to food. Certainly not without some reason.

I have been sea sick a great deal & not able to work nor read so much. (The story goes that Mr. M has offered himself to one of the young ladies but [he/she?] denies.) I don't know whether we shall have [illeg.] service or not. There are many that will not go as they are offended with Mr. M because he did not [illeg.] them to the American Consul at Rio.